Hi I live in Oregon and have a Hermanns tortoise and I need ideas on what to do to for his outdoor enclosure to make it safe for winter time. I have his enclosure set on dirt and it’s gets rain and sunshine, I’m just not sure what I can do to make it safe for him in the winter.
Outdoor Winter enclosure for hermanns
- Thread starter Joeyboyyy
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Hamiltondood
Active Member
how old is your tortoise? if he's a hatchling, bring him indoors and get a closed enclosure. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/
(not my photo)
(not my photo)
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- Nov 17, 2013
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You said the enclosure is set on dirt, but from the looks of it in the photo, your enclosure is basically an open topped box sitting on the deck. Is that right? If so, leaving your tortoise in that enclosure for the winter will be a death sentence if you get freezing temps where you live. The tortoise needs to be able to get below the surface of the ground to a point at or below the frost line to successfully hibernate outdoors.
If the tortoise has not hibernated previously, you might be better off trying to hibernate the tortoise in your garage or in a cool dark spot in your house like a cold closet on an exterior wall or a cool corner of the basement. When I lived in CT, my house had a root cellar where I cooled down many snakes and tortoises during the winter. The temp in that root cellar ranged from 52 on the coldest days to about 58 on the warmer days.
He’s 3 years old, I have an indoor enclosure and an outdoor one. The indoor one has a hatchling and the outdoor has the 3 year old. I was wondering on advice on what to build over his enclosure / what outdoor lighting to use
That picture was taken previously when it was on a deck, but now I have it set on top of a plywood plank that’s on top of dirt. I don’t want to hibernate him, I was hoping for advice on what to build over the enclosure and what outdoor heat lamps to use
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This is just my personal opinion, but if you don't want to hibernate the tortoise, it seems that it would be a lot simpler and safer to simply bring it indoors than to leave it out in the weather through the winter. @Tom can tell you how to build a heated night box, but I still think you are taking a risk with that small tortoise leaving it outside all winter in Oregon. What if there is a power failure? Inside is better than outside in that event.
Yeah I think
you’re right
In this thread is the info that @zovick was talking about. The night box with controllable temperatures can be used to extend their time outside in fall, and get them out earlier in spring. Its also useful for gradually getting them ready to hibernate, and gradually bringing them out, especially when fickle Mother Nature keeps changing her mind and the weather just isn't cooperating with your plans. With some timer and thermostat adjustments, the weather inside my boxes is always just how I want it.
tortoiseforum.org
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
tortoiseforum.org
Awesome thanksIn this thread is the info that @zovick was talking about. The night box with controllable temperatures can be used to extend their time outside in fall, and get them out earlier in spring. Its also useful for gradually getting them ready to hibernate, and gradually bringing them out, especially when fickle Mother Nature keeps changing her mind and the weather just isn't cooperating with your plans. With some timer and thermostat adjustments, the weather inside my boxes is always just how I want it.
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
